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JIM BENDER, QMI Agency

WINNIPEG - ‘Fast Freddy’ Reid figures to overcome the most significant injury of his career quickly.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers tailback’s season ended when he suffered a torn ACL during the game against the Argos in Toronto last Saturday.

“I’ll bounce back and get ready for next year,” Reid said Wednesday. “These things happen, it’s just part of football.”

Reid, who will undergo surgery Thursday, has already overcome the disappointment of having his season end prematurely.

“I was down at first but eventually, you’ve got to move on,” said Reid, who led the CFL in rushing in 2010. “I’ve just got to move on, rehab and get ready for next year.”

Reid, 29, suffered the injury when an Argo landed on top of his knee after he was tackled. He is currently in second place in CFL rushing with 759 yards and four touchdowns on 181 carries.

Chris Garrett will replace Reid.

“Chris Garrett’s going to do pretty good,” Reid assured. “He’s a good running back and he’s explosive. He can do some things in open spaces.”

STRANGE CUT: Winnipeg’s latest string of injury woes started before the Bombers even left town last week. The day before the team was due to leave for T.O., kick returner Tim Brown suffered a gash in the webbing of his hand that prevented him making the trip. The strangest thing is, Brown was wearing gloves at the time.

“To this day, I don’t know how,” Brown said. “I went up to catch a ball and my hand started to hurt, I guess from the sweat. So, I took off my glove and I saw a gash and to this day, I don’t know. I just don’t.”

Brown needed two stitches to close the gash, but he is ready to return to play against the Montreal Alouettes when they come to town Friday.

“I’ve been waiting on this moment to go out there and show my skills,” said Brown, who has also been taking turns at receiver this week.

Linebacker Dustin Doe, who replaced Brown in T.O., was apparently the guilty party when the Bombers had a punt blocked, which resulted in a safety touch.

OFF RETURNS: Brown will likely return both kickoffs and punts, which will disappoint cornerback Jovon Johnson, the club’s former punt returner who filled in rather admirably last week.

“I love doing it,” Johnson said. “It’s one of those things that makes my game that much better when I get the opportunity to return kicks because I get into a groove … I hate that they had taken me off to begin with. It probably would have made my season that much better.”

OLD FRIENDS: Bombers rookie FB Michel-Pierre Pontbriand played with newly-arrived RB Nick Fitzgibbon for Team Canada at the 2011 world championship.

“He’s a very talented kid and I look for him to be on the field with me,” Pontbriand said.

HASHMARKS: Both DL Doug Brown (shoulder) and DE Rodney Fritz (hamstring) will miss Friday’s match while it looks like OL Brendon LaBatte will play despite a shoulder injury.